No longer just a game!
by Novanto
Summary: A fan convention has induced the creation of several artifacts; and most of them are connected to the Legendaries themselves! Can the Warehouse team collect them all before these embodiments of nature tear the planet apart? Not without a new member they can't! A/N: Takes Place after the S4 Episode "An Evil Within" or thereabouts.
1. An Opportune Beginning

**Novanto's Note: **Just because I feel bad about quitting Age of XANA, doesn't mean I should quit posting stuff here!

This story is co-written by myself, and Warehouse 13 Wiki member ToaCodyNuva.

* * *

Aden Taylor, a 20-year-old young man sat at his computer. He lived in his house in Florida, which was small, held his personal things and just enough food to cook simple meals to survive on. The young man wore blue jeans, black tennis shoes, glasses over his green eyes, and a Blue Lantern T-shirt. On a nearby nightstand, a red-and-white Pokeball he had bought at a fan convention the previous year shimmered brightly and suddenly rolled onto the floor with a clunk. "How did that happen?" Aden asked himself as he crouched down to pick it up.

Upon making contact with his skin, the sphere shocked him. "Ow! What the heck?" Aden shouted, withdrawing his hand quickly. He then touched it again, with nothing happening and picked up the Ball. "What was with the thundershock?" The Ball suddenly flashed and released tendrils of electricity arcing in several directions for a moment before withdrawing. "What the?! I wonder..." He pointed the ball at the other side of the room. "Um, Bubblebeam." In response, the PokeBall released several shimmering bubbles that popped vigorously upon impacting the wall. "Wow. This thing can use Pokemon moves? That's impossible... but very cool!" Aden exclaimed. "I gotta try one of the bigger moves!"

The young man ran out to his backyard and pointed the ball at a bush. "Flamethrower!" A jet of fire shot out toward the bush, setting it ablaze. "Better put that out. Water Gun." Water was ejected from the artifact and put out the flames.

Meanwhile in South Dakota, a computer began to ping.

Artie Nielson jerked up in his chair as the computer stirred him from his brief slumber. Ever since using the Astrolabe, he had found it difficult to get any measurable amount of sleep, resulting in him nodding off at inopportune times. The recent fiasco involving Claudia and the resurrection of agent Jinks hadn't helped at all, nor had the discussions with Brother Adrian. "I spare the world from the ill effects of a destroyed Warehouse, and this is the thanks I get," he said grumpily as he pulled himself back up from his slumped-over position. As he began bringing up the pertinent information, he felt a small mass move onto his leg. Looking down, he saw Trailer staring up at him reassuringly. "Well, at least I know somebody cares," he said with a small grin as he ruffled the dog's ears.

Looking at the computer, a police report with a picture of a young man appeared on the screen. According to the report, witnesses claimed a bush near the young man's house burst into flames, then was summarily extinguished with a deluge of water. Artie went over to the Bed and Breakfast to inform the other agents about the case. Pete, Myka, and HG immediately volunteered to do it. The trio left for Florida immediately.

At the given address, HG knocked at the door.

Aden, who was using the artifact to fry an egg, stopped what he was doing and answered the door. "Yes?"

"Hi, my name's Myka, he's Pete, and this is Agent Wells. We're with the US Secret service and were wondering..." Myka began.

"...If you had anything to do with an incident involving a bush outside." Pete finished.

"What about it?"

"Well, the police reports say that it mysteriously caught on fire, but was just as mysteriously extinguished." Ms. Wells explained.

"Oh yeah, I did that." Aden confirmed. "I used this Pokeball I have in the kitchen... come on in."

The three followed Aden to the kitchen, where Aden was putting his egg on a plate. He picked up the red-and-white sphere. "It can do a lot more than produce fire and water. When I first realized what it can do, it nearly shocked me, like this." He pointed the ball at the wall and muttered, "Thunderbolt." A bolt of electricity struck the wall, leaving a mark.

"Well, we're gonna have to take that." Pete said, slipping on a purple glove.

"Aw, okay." Aden calmly handed the ball over. Myka dropped it in a foil bag, where it produced a slight spark. "Whoa."

The group shook hands and bid fare well as Aden showed them the door. As he turned around, an African-American woman with a streak of grey hair walked out of the shadows.

"Hello Mr. Taylor."

"Gah! Who are you?" Aden asked her.

"My name is Mrs. Frederic, I am with the government."

"Uh, OK, nice to meet you ma'am. May I ask what you're doing in my house?" Aden couldn't put his finger on it, but something about this Mrs. Frederic made him very uncomfortable.

"I am here to speak with you concerning the artifact you just relinquished."

"Artifact? You mean the Pokeball I gave to those agents."

"The very same."

"Hey, you can't pin that incident outside on me. Up until the other night, it was just a trinket I bought at a big convention last year."

"I am aware. We've suspected that a number of items from that convention may have been imbued with artifact qualities. We are now concerned that the activation of your Ball means that the other possible artifacts might become active as well."

"Now that you mention it," Aden said as he sat down in a chair, "I did see a few things there that technically shouldn't exist outside of the games: Orbs which represent powerful god-like Pokemon; plates that can enhance a Pokemon's powers; even life-size statues of the Legendary Golem Quartet." He fiddled with a small rock in his hand, his nervousness clear. "The golems would be completely harmless, but the others..." Aden shuddered. "If they were to become as powerful as the beings they represent, no-one would be safe."

Mrs. Frederic listened to this, her expression not changing in the slightest. When Aden finished she continued. "Which is why I have come to speak with you. You showed unusually control over the Ball, and we believe this trait could be beneficial in recovering these artifacts. I am here to request your aid."

Aden sat in his chair for a moment, attempting to wrap his head around everything he had just heard. If what this woman had said was true, there was a whole lot of bad that was about to happen. "I'm not so sure I would like to get involved in this."

"I'm afraid you already are involved. You have taken your first steps into a new world... we just wish for you to allow us to guide you through it."

"What kind of world?"

A small grin crossed Mrs. Frederic's face. "A world of endless wonder."

Some time later in the city of Reno, a young man sat in his studio apartment just blocks away from where he attended university. Though he could usually be found messing around on his laptop-turned-desktop, instead he was staring intently at an old looking notebook. While his right hand held the book open with a bookmark, he fiddled absentmindedly with a seemingly ordinary penny.

"Hmm, looks like the Warehouse has a new recruit and a slore of artifacts are about to activate. That came out of left field. But... it could present a unique opportunity."

* * *

**Closing notes:** Mr. Guy-in-Reno is ToaCody's character. He'll be VERY important later.


	2. Heralds of Creation - Part 1

**Novanto's Notes:** Nothing, really.

* * *

Several weeks later, Aden pulled up at the Warehouse in his slightly battered car. He looked up at the massive building in front of him."Well, I'm "wow"ed, that's for sure." Aden commented as he walked up to the door and knocked. "Hello? Mrs. Fredric asked me to come here." The young man then felt something press into his back and very slowly turned around to face what looked like a ray gun. "Uh... hi?"

The person holding the gun was a young woman, likely around the same age as Aden himself. What immediately drew his attention was her hair: a deep auburn color with a streak of pink running down along her right eye. Despite the awkwardness of the situation, the expression she wore was one of mirth.

"So you're the 'expert' we were told to expect," she said, raising an eyebrow while shouldering the gun. "My name is Claudia Donovan, follow me please." She opened the door and almost mockingly let him in first. Aden looked around the stark white corridor as Claudia passed him to open the door at the other end. She held her eye to an optical scanner and let Aden into an office.

"Wow, this is gonna cool." Aden remarked. Looking around, the young man wandered over to another door and pulled it open. Walking to a railing and looking out, his jaw dropped as he gazed out at the unimaginably massive space before him.

"It is, very cool. Welcome, to Warehouse 13!" Claudia said with a dramatic sweep of her arm.

"I... don't think I can explain just how amazed I am." The young man commented as he walked downstairs. Upon placing one foot on the ground, Aden felt something make contact with it and looked down to see his PokeBall.

"Aww, again?! That thing hasn't stopped acting up since it got here!" Claudia pulled a pair of purple gloves from her pocket, slipped them on, and reached for the Ball. Before she could even touch it, though, it unleashed a cascade of leaves that blew her back into the nearby shelf... hard.

Aden picked up the Ball and gave it a light smack. "Bad PokeBall! Bad! Did anyone tell you to use Leaf Storm? No they did not," he lectured it as he helped Claudia to her feet. "You should be on your shelf. Now go on." Aden rolled the ball away and followed it, not noticing several semi-active artifacts calming down as he passed. Claudia followed him and did notice the effect his presence had on the shelved items. Aden came to a stop when the red-and-white sphere did and placed it back on the shelf where it belonged. "Now do me a favor," he told the artifact as he patted it gently, "and stay here." Aden turned around and jumped as he hadn't noticed Claudia standing a few feet away with an amused smile on her face. "I'm gonna have to get used to that, aren't I?"

Claudia chuckled lightly. "Most likely. I noticed that you seem to have a calming affect on the other artifacts."

Aden looked around. "I did? Well, I do have a way with animals. They instinctively know I won't try to hurt them. I guess artifacts kinda behave the same way." He walked away and looked at a Japanese katana, whose blade faded from sight as though showing off its power. Aden nodded politely at it as the sword reappeared and walked back to the office, occasionally pausing to watch as others happily showed off a bit, then calmed down as he looked at them. Back in the office, the two found Pete, Myka, and Artie waiting in the office.

"Ah, you must be Mr. Taylor. Arthur Nielson, custodian of Warehouse 13." He extended a hand, which Aden shook. "You should remember Pete Lattimer and Myka Bering, and it would appear you have already met Claudia, our resident tech-wiz."

"Aww, you know just how to make a girl feel important, Artie," Claudia remarked sarcastically, wincing slightly as she leaned against the wall.

"You alright, Claud?" Myka asked, an expression of genuine concern on her face.

Claudia informed the group of the incident down on the Warehouse floor, taking particular note of the odd effect Aden had on some of the artifacts. "It was like they were... happy about his presence. Some of them even displayed their positive effects when he strolled by. He made the comparison to how animals know that he's nice," she added, gesturing to Aden who was stroking Trailer gently, "and by that logic it would also explain why that Ball kept trying to leave: it was trying to get back to its first owner."

"That would also explain the Leaf Storm." Aden commented.

"Wait, so how many... attacks can that thing use?" Pete asked, curious.

"Five hundred fifty-nine, at least," Aden replied almost instantly. Realizing everyone was now staring at him, he added, "That's how many moves there are in the games. Some attacks have minor space and time distortion effects, such as the Roar of Time and Spacial Rend."

Claudia's eyes widened. "Not often we get an artifact with that kind of power that doesn't have a downside."

Aden smiled. "my guess is that only a Pokemon fan with knowledge of a majority of the techniques can use it properly."

About an hour later, Aden was shown to his room at Leena's, who noted his soothing blue and green aura as the two shook hands. Setting a copy of the Warehouse manual on a nightstand, he opened his bags and began to unpack, folding his clothes neatly and setting his Blue Lantern shirt, a blue button-up shirt, and a pair of jeans on a chair for the next day. He then opened the manual and began to read. Aden fell asleep somewhere in the list of M artifacts.

Back in Reno, the unknown young man is finishing up some online assignments when he decides to check on the events at the Warehouse. Putting up his textbook, he pulls out the old notebook, opens it to the bookmark, and begins reading it with his penny in hand.

"Ah, it would appear Aden has finally arrived at the Warehouse. Just in time too, as it appears the first batch of the Pokemon artifacts are about to activate. Let's see who's up first," he said as he turned the page. "And the winners are... ooww. THEM!" He slumped back in his chair in despair. "How the heck will they be prepared for that?"

As he said this, the penny in his hand shimmered brilliantly for a moment. His eyes slid out of focus during this, and when it passed he stared incredulously at the coin.

"Really, that is what I should do? Well, you've never steered me wrong before." Shrugging off his shock, he went to his closet and dug out a leather bag, about the same size as the backpack he carried his books in. After rummaging in it for a moment, he pulled out a leather-bound book and an old feather quill. He then opened the book and began writing in it.

Back in South Dakota, Aden began to dream of a strange creature. It had two dog-like legs, a mane that flowed behind it, and eyes that glowed a bright green. A voice echoed in his mind: "It's no longer just a game, human." Aden could only confirm that it was a Pokemon before waking up. He set the manual, which was lying open on his torso back on the nightstand after marking his page, then pulled another book out of his bag: "The Master Trainer's Pokedex: From Kanto to Unova." Flipping through the book, he identified the parts of the being he had seen and wrote them down in a pad. "Body and arms of Mewtwo, legs of... Lucario, and what appeared to be the head and overall coloration of Arceus himself. Speaks via telepathy, so it is possibly Psychic Primary or incredibly intelligent. Most likely both." Aden read on. "But it's not recorded in the book."

Before he could follow the train of thought much further, he was interrupted by the buzzing of his cellphone. Grabbing it, he saw a text message, apparently sent by Claudia, asking him to come back to the Warehouse. Hoping this meant they were about to get to work, he headed back to the Warehouse, entering the office with a special passkey Claudia had given him. Instead of finding her, however, he instead found a man he hadn't been introduced to yet.

"Oh, hi. You must be the new guy Mrs. Frederic had brought in. Steve Jinks, former ATF" He extended his hand, which Aden warily shook. "Are you alright?"

"What? Oh, yeah, I was just expecting to find Claudia here."

"Ah. Well I'm afraid you just missed her. She left about 15 minutes ago with Myka, Pete, and the others to go eat at the Univille Diner. I was just on my way to go join them."

"Wait, 15 minutes ago?" Aden asked. "I received a text from Claudia that told me to meet her here ASAP 15 minutes ago."

"Well I don't know what to-", started Steve, but he was interrupted by a loud pinging from the computer. Looking over, they saw it was displaying what appeared to be a map of part of the Warehouse with a pulsing red dot over one of the aisles and "Unusual Activity" in large read letters.

"Hold on," said Aden, recognizing the area the map illustrated, "that's where I left the PokeBall after calming it down. Why is it acting up again?"

"I don't know," said Steve, an expression of caution on his face. "But I think we should go check it out."

The pair ran over to the area, where the Ball was rocking back and forth and its button was pulsating a dull red, as though it was containing something. "What's up with you, bud?" Aden asked the sphere as he plucked it from his shelf and stared at it. "These actions normally mean that something was just caught... but that's impossible, the moves exist. Pokemon themselves... don't... exist." Aden thought back to what the mysterious Pokemon had said in his dream: "No longer just a game."

The moment he said this quote, the PokeBall burst open and unleashed a deafening roar of sound in a focused column. Aden dropped the Ball out of pure fright, and in the process the roar became focused on Steve. As the sound rolled through his body, his skin suddenly turned a very dark gray color, a wound appeared on his neck, and he began choking fiercely. Seeing this, Aden kicked the Ball away from the man, and as soon as he was out of the column of sound he returned to normal. Before either of them could make a move, the Ball stopped uttering its roar and instead began releasing several arks of pink energy that raced down the center of the aisle (fortunately missing the two), leaving weird distortions in the air as they passed. Next came what appeared to be a shadow shaped somewhat akin to a dragon, which began vanishing from view and reappearing, smashing into artifacts in the processes. Finally, the PokeBall pointed itself skyward and unleashed a burst of energy that flew up to the Warehouse ceiling before scattering into 16 differently colored meteor-like bursts that dissipated before hitting the floor.

The two simply lay on the floor looking at each other, seemingly unable to comprehend the sudden display of power they just witnessed. They were broken from their stupor by a loud buzzing sound. Steve, realizing it was coming from his Farnsworth, pulled it out and opened it, moving over to Aden in the process.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON THERE?!" came the voice of Artie, his tone the perfect mix of anger and concern.

"Artie, that Ball artifact just went berserk. It just fired off a whole stream of badness that we just barely managed to-" Steve began explaining, then stopped himself. "Hold on, how did you know something had happened?"

"Claudia just doubled over in extreme pain while choking terribly, exactly like she said happened when you first tried to disconnect yourself from the Metronome!" Artie raved at Steve, the image of his face becoming remarkably darker in the black-and-white screen.

"Metronome? What are you talking about?" asked Aden, completely lost.

Steve turned to look at Aden, his face conveying a great deal of discomfort. "Last year, I infiltrated a small organization that was trying to gain access to the Warehouse. They found out and had me killed, but Claudia used a Metronome belonging to Johann Maelzel to revive me and keep me alive. Unfortunately, we soon learned that we had become linked because of the Metronome, and whenever I would get hurt, Claudia would feel my pain. But we broke my connection to the Metronome and destroyed it over a week ago, so I have no idea why its effects would suddenly come back."

"Roar of Time," Aden said to himself, suddenly making the connection. "The first move the Ball unleashed was Roar of Time. That means the others were the signatures of..."

"What are you talking about?" asked Steve, now just as lost as Aden had been before.

"The move you were hit with is called Roar of Time, essentially a roar so powerful that it distorts time. It must have somehow distorted time around you so that you experienced back when Claudia brought you back, and she felt your pain by extension. And I am almost positive the three moves after it were Spacial Rend, Shadow Force, and Judgement, meaning..."

"Meaning what?" came Artie's voice from the Farnsworth, asking the question before Steve could.

Aden shivered, an expression of dark foreboding on his face. "Meaning that the first Pokemon artifacts will be those relating to the Creation Quartet: Dialga, Palkia, Giratina, and Arceus himself!"

* * *

**Bonus:** Oh no! The Creation Trio! How will they manage to contain the four most powerful Pokemon ever created? Read the next chapter to find out. Poor Steve, getting caught in Dialga's Signature Move can NOT feel good!


	3. Heralds of Creation - Part 2

**Novanto's Note:** Looks like a gang War in Enid Oklahoma-but the weapons aren't guns and blades. They're Time, Space, and seven Type Plates each!

* * *

On the way to Enid, Oklahoma, Aden explained about the Creation Quartet to Pete, Myka, and Claudia. "Basically, Diaga is the physical embodiment of time. His Roar must've brought Steve, and by extension you," he said, looking at Claudia, "back to a point were he was still connected to the Metronome. Because the Metronome wasn't ticking due to being in pieces, your bodies began to die."  
"Man, Dialga sounds nasty." Claudia said.

"Oh he is nasty-especially when he goes primal, and by that, I mean completely off the deep end. Anyway, Palkia, Dialga's counterpart, embodies space. It's Spacial Rend will tear apart space as it passes. Giratina however, is just plain flat-out creepy. He embodies anti-matter. His move is the Shadow Force, which allows him to phase into the anti-matter world in one instant, then phase back in a split-second later to strike."

"And this is what the kids are into these days?" asked Pete, a good deal of sarcasm in his voice. "So, do you have any idea what we should be looking for, or are we going to have to bag the entire town?"

"Actually, it should be pretty straight forward. Most of the Legendary Pokemon have items associated with them in the games, and these four are no different. Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina had the Orbs: Dialga had the Adamant Orb, a geometric orb of diamond; Palkia had the Lustrous Orb, a huge pink pearl; and Giratina had the Griseous Orb, a huge sphere of pure platinum."

"Well, that doesn't make a lick of sense to me," Pete responded.

"It comes from the fact that they were the version mascots of the games entitled Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum, respectively," Aden clarified.

"Alright, and what about the fourth guy, this... Arfeous?" Pete asked, clearly straining to remember the name.

"Arc-ee-us," Aden enunciated, failing to keep the tone of exasperation out of his voice. "He is basically the Pokemon version of God. His items were 16 Plates, each with an engraving that represented the 16 other Types he could assume by holding them."

Arriving at Enid, it was apparent that Dialga and Palkia's artifacts had had a field day. Buildings were decayed or split neatly in half as though with a razor-sharp guillotine. Others were surrounded by a distortion. A few people appeared to have been aged or were too young for their clothes. Aden held up the ball which pointed in one direction, and then another. Oddly the town seemed to have the different effects split down the middle of the street. "I'll take Palkia's side." Aden volunteered. He calmly stepped onto the side of the road with spacial damage, setting up a Protect barrier around him, but was quickly shot at with a bolt of electricity and zipped back into the car. "Oh great, looks like the artifact effects are split neatly in half on either side of town. But I don't see Giratina's type of damage anywhere."

Pete noted a pair of tablets on the ground. One was a deep gunmetal grey, the other was a deathly-looking light gray. "What are these?"

"Those?" Aden replied as he examined them. "Those would be the Dread Plate," he said as he pointed at the darker tablet, "and the Spooky Plate," as he pointed at the lighter one. "They deal with Dark and Ghost Type Pokemon, respectively." Aden picked up the Spooky Plate and stared at it a moment before touching it to the PokeBall, which promptly pointed at the First National Bank of Enid, which was oddly untouched.

"I'm going to check that Bank out for Giratina's Orb," he said, turning back towards the others. "You guys should probably start scouting out the rest of the area for the the other two." Without waiting for a response, Aden walked slowly toward the building, setting up a Detect and a Charged Thunder Wave ready to fire. Inside, a teenage girl was huddled in a corner near the teller booths. She recognized Aden's PokeBall and T-shirt from the convention, and he remembered her from the previous year as well. They had talked and traded a few Pokemon over the course of the week. He then saw what was around her neck: a small platinum ball on a leather cord. "Hi, Mary. It's been a while."

"Aden?" said Mary, clearly shocked at seeing him standing in front of her, despite everything else that had been going on. "I didn't think I'd ever see you again after the convention. What are you doing here?" She reached out and grabbed the hand Aden had extended to help her, and as she stood up the Ball sparked and the Spooky Plated shimmered as they reacted to the energy contained in the Orb around her neck. "Oh no! Not more freaky Pokemon trinkets!"

"Oh, hey, don't worry about the Ball," Aden replied, shifting it behind his back. "It's a long story why I'm here Mary, but essentially I've come to help some government agents recover several trinkets and replicas from the convention that developed the same powers of the Pokemon they are associated with. In this case, the ones dealing with the Creation Quartet." He gestured at the Orb around her neck. "Hehe, appears the Original One and his kids are going nuts today, huh? While the Renegade is on it's best behavior."

"It looks like it, Aden." Mary replied with a slight grin, taking off the Griseous Orb and looking at it for a moment before handing it to Aden. Aden then proceeded to drop it into one of the strange foil bags, a plethora of sparks spewing forth before he sealed it. "Wow."

"I know!" The pair exchanged email addresses and tumblr URLs, and said fare well. Curious as to how the Orb was activated, Aden slipped it from the bag and over his head. His eyes briefly shifted to solid black with red irises and he gasped lightly as its power channeled through him for an instant. In Aden's eyes, the silhouette of Giratina stood before him as though debating whether or not to destroy the puny human. "Oh mighty Renegade," Aden said as though reciting a prayer. "I swear in the name of Arceus the Alpha that I will not use your power for my own material gain." The hallucination bowed its head in acceptance and returned to the Griseous Orb as the young man's eyes returned to normal. Aden then ran over to Myka, who was busy on the side with temporal damage incapacitating someone holding a Plate the color of an old brick. Aden hed up the PokeBall, muttered a quick "Foresight" and then used Shadow Force to knock the goon out by accidently landing on his head. "Well, that worked." he commented as he removed the plate from the man's hand and examined it.

"So, what's this one?" Myka asked, slumping over to catch her breath after what clearly had been an intese brawl.

"The Fist Plate, which relates to the Fighting-Type. It appears to grant the user knowledge of all martial arts, the skill to use them properly, and increased strength." Aden explained."However, it makes one heavily susecptible to mental attacks. Well, that's three, just six more to go on this... side." Aden looked down to see vines beginning to wrap around his legs. "Oh joy, the Grass-type Meadow Plate is attacking. It granted Arceus total control over plant life." Aden used the Fist Plate to tug on the largest vine, apparently wrenching the grass green tablet from its user. Slipping the Plates into bags, the vines withered from Aden and the slight muscle mass from the Fist Plate dissolved from the still unconsious goon.

After setting the bagged plates and Griseous Orb back in the car (thanking Giratina for the use of his power as he did so), Aden saw Pete attempting to dodge blasts of water. "Thunder Wave!" A weak jolt arced up the holder of the blue Plate, paralysing him instantly. "The Splash Plater: Water-Type." Aden explained briefly before using it to detect Palkia's artifact, which was on the side of Enid with time damage for an odd reason. He slipped over and spotted a muscular man sitting on what appeared to be a solidified nebula, a large pink pearl around his neck. Aden quickly ran back to Pete and Myka, explaining what he saw. "He's got Palkia's artifact, and he obviously knew exactly how to use it."

Claudia, who had apparently snagged a metallic-grey Plate, returned bearing news about Dialga's artifact as well. "What he said. The guy was wearing a diamond on a cord. And which type is this?"

"That was the Adamant Orb, Dialga's Artifact. And this I belive is the Iron Plate, which represents the Steel-type. Now all we need to do is collect the..." Aden counted on his fingers, "ten remaining Plates."

"Make that eight." Mary ran over holding a bright red plate and an icy blue one. "These are the Fire-type Flame Plate, and the Ice-type Icicle Plate."

"Thanks, Mary." Aden smiled as he bagged the former, but stared for a moment at the latter. "I have a feeling that a little ice may come in... handy." He said, noticing Pete almost lose his balance.

"Whoa, now that was a really bad Vibe," he said, pulling himself back up to a standing position.

"Vibe? What do you mean by...?" Aden began, but stopped himself and listened intently. Footsteps came tearing into the street, as the eight remaining Plate wielders ran into view. "Oh, that's what." Aden quickly removed the Plates from the bags and handed them to the others.

"Just concentrate on the symbol on the tablets and then imagine it striking your target." Mary said, explaining how she used the Flame Plate earlier after stealing it from a goon. Aden nodded and fired a blast of ice at a woman who appeared to have draconic wings, a tail, and glowing claws made of energy. She dodged the first, but fell to a Glaciate from his PokeBall.

"Ice beats Dragon." He told her as he wrenched the dull red Plate from her fingers. Claudia unleashed a blast of fire at a man surrounded by a swarm of insects, incinerating them all and snagging the bright green plate. Meanwhile, Mary used the Dread Plate to its fullest extent against her levitating opponent who was repeatedly launching pink and blue bolts of mental power at her, only for the energy to go right through Aden's friend. He remembered her tendency to use Ghosts, Darks, and Psychics in their battles, and jokingly labelled her as the first Dark-Type Gym Leader due to her mastery of the type. She calmly manipulated the woman's shadow into holding its owner perfectly still as Mary removed a bright pink tablet from her opponent's pocket.

Myka used the Fist Plate to quickly knock out a man wearing rock armor. She removed the dark brown tablet from his chest and the rock crumbled. She then brought the tablet down onto the head of a woman who appeared to have wings. When she collapsed, the feathers dissolved and a sky blue Plate slid away.

Pete however, was having trouble using the Iron Plate. He kept getting hit again and again from below despite his currently iron skin. Aden yelled out "Razor Leaf!" while holding the Meadow Plate. A stream of sharp leaves flew out at the attacker, distracting him long enough for Pete to snatch the light brown tablet. "Only two more!" Aden called out. Pete was suddenly attacked by the two remaining people, but was unaffected due to the plates he was holding. Aden fired a Mudshot at the man wielding a yellow tablet and the woman holding a deep purple one, knocking them both out.

The newly acquired plates were laid out in a row. Mary and Aden identified the remaining plates in order of acquisition as the Dragon-type Draco Plate, Bug-type Insect Plate, Psychic-type Mind Plate, Rock-type Stone Plate, Flying-type Sky Plate, Ground-type Earth plate, Electric-type Zap Plate, and Poison-type Toxic Plate. "You gotta be careful when using these, everyone." Aden explained. "no more than two at a time."

"Why is that?" asked Myka, clearly not understanding.

"Because," Mary continued, "a Pokemon can only have two types and no more. My guess is that using three or more would be incredibly dangerous. And all sixteen...only Arceus can do that since he's God. And no mere mortal can handle that level of power without going boom."

"Now we just need to get the Adamant and Lustrous Orbs." Aden finished as he picked up the Griseous Orb. Slipping it on, he took a deep breath to relax, and handed the Mind plate to Myka, Spooky Plate to Claudia, the Dread Plate to Mary, and the Icicle Plate to Pete. Aden strode confidently toward where he saw the Lustrous Orb's user.

"And who are you bunch supposed to be?" The man asked.

Aden's eyes flashed to red on black. "Just someone who's gonna kick your butt." He replied coldly. The man dissolved the nebula he was sitting on and fired it at Aden, who dodged, resulting in a pillar blowing up. The man tried to teleport away, but Myka generated a mental shield that prevented it. Shadowy wings with red tips appeared on Aden's back as he fired a Shadow Ball knocking the wannabe Space god back. "Dude, I've got anti-matter and ghost powers. You think you can even touch me?"

"My name is Damien, and yes I do!" The older man replied as he fired off another blast of raw matter. Aden calmly blew the blast apart and Shadow-Forced away to behind Damien. To provide more of an opening, Claudia and Mary then used their Plates to generate ghastly apparitions around the man, causing him to divert some of his attention away from Aden. Seizing his chance, he brought a Wood Hammer down on the man's head, knocking him to the ground. Damien made a feeble move as if to continue fighting, but Pete immediately used his plate to freeze the man in place. Aden quickly snatched the pearl off his neck. Myka dissolved the shield as Aden cupped the Orb in his hands, apologizing to Palkia about its former wielder.

Slipping it on, Aden walked over to the opposite side of the street, following Claudia's instructions. As the group passed by buildings with spacial damage, the pearl glowed slightly and restored them and the people around it.

Upon entering a room, Aden glared at a man wearing a diamond on a leather cord. "So, who are you?"

"My name's Cronus." The Greco-American replied. "A fitting name, considering my new powers."

"Oh, yeah, I'm sure your parents were in their right mind when they named you after one of the most evil figures in Greek mythology." Aden retorted, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He quickly teleported to behind Cronus, smirking. "Why don't we cut the banter and get to the fight I know you want."

"Glady." Cronus fired off a temporal blast that Aden teleported away from. The younger male continued doing so, noting how the diamond was slowly turning orange.

"C'mon, that the best you got?" Aden stuck out his tongue and dodged another blast. "My Magikarp is tougher than you... and it's level 5!" Mary winced at the insult, for being told that you were weaker than a low-level Magikarp was a severe insult to any Pokemon fan.

Cronus, enraged by the taunt, began firing off random blasts, all missing. Aden watched as the diamond turned fully orange and began to glow as Cronus' powers stopped working. He looked down and watched in horror as his body began to crystallize. Within moments, in place of a man was a solid diamond statue that quickly crumbled to dust as the Adamant Orb absorbed his energy and returned to it's inactive blue hue. Aden removed the Orb he was wearing and cupped the diamond in his hands, apologizing to Dialga like he had to Palkia. Walking back out into the street, he held the Orb up high, and released a blue wave of energy and restored the remaining damage done to Enid before slipping it into a bag.

Aden drove Mary home. As she got out, he opened his mouth to say something, but she stopped him with a finger to his lips. "I know your gonna tell me something about what just happened, but at the moment, I don't want you to. It's been a rough day. Why don't you tell me after you're done collecting the other things that were at the convention."

Aden bowed his head. "As you wish, O Mistress of the dreaded Dark-type." Mary smiled and said good-bye. She walked to the door and watched him drive off, then went inside and dialed a number. Before the phone had rung even once, it was answered on the other side.

"Yes."

"Your message was right. Aden just left here with some agents, and they took my Orb along with a number of other trinkets involving the Creation Quartet."

"Excellent. Looks as though he understood the hint I left for him. Let's just hope he does as well with the next few. In the meantime, I would like you to use the items I also sent you to track Aden's movements via the information you two exchanged. Keep me informed on whenever he and his friends go off somewhere out-of-the-way."

"Why are you so interested in him?" Mary asked, still trying to wrap her head around what was just happening.

"I have my reasons. If it puts your mind at ease, you should know that I have no intention of bringing harm to Aden or anyone else. Quite the contrary, actually."

Back at the Warehouse, as Aden pushes a cart carrying the newly collected artifacts, he passes a shelf holding a sword, and on its display was a picture of a sword in a stone with the name Excalibur. "Grr, the sword's name is Clarent." he mutters as he tries to change the name. Unable to do so, he resigns to the unfortunate setup and walks off to store the Creation items.

As he set the items on an empty shelf, the Plates of Arceus stacked in a neat pile, the Adamant Orb fell to the floor and slid away. "Hey! Dialga, get back here!" he called as he set the other two orbs back on the cart and chased after it. The Orb paused briefly at the Dark Vault entrance, but only for a moment before zipping off again. As Aden reached the office, he heard Artie yell in pain. Aden climbed upstairs to see the Adamant Orb on Artie's head. "That was... weird." he commented as he plucked it off Artie's head.

"Yes it was. Why did that thing do that?"

"I don't know. I'll research it later."

"You do that." Artie instructed as Aden slipped the Orb into his pocket and walked back to his cart, frowning at the incorrectly-named sword as he passed. He set Giratina's Griseous Orb next to Palkia's Lustrous Orb, which sat to the right of the Plates, and Dialga's Adamant Orb on the left between the Plates and the PokeBall.

Back at the B&B, Aden pulled out his Pokedex book and turned to Dialga's page. "Dialga is said to be attracted to temporal anomalies. If said anomaly is caused by a person, it will hunt down and attack said person. Huh. Odd, that would mean Artie caused a time anomaly somehow. I'll tell him tomorrow." Setting the book down, he resumed reading the manual, and managed to finish it before setting it aside and falling asleep.

* * *

**Novanto's Note:** Dialga senses the Astrolabe-and isn't happy about it.


	4. The Stuff of Legends - Part 1

Aden dreamed of the mysterious Pokemon again. It was meditating, as most Psychic-types tended to do in order to focus their powers. It smiled at Aden's dream self. "Bring a raincoat tomorrow. You'll need it." it told him with a smile. Aden managed to identify the being as a male before a loud clap of thunder woke him the next morning.  
"Unknown Pokemon is apparently male." he wrote down in his notes about the dream. "Gah! What is this thing?" Aden set the notepad down and got dressed in a plain aqua-colored shirt and jeans. Coming downstairs, he saw Leena putting breakfast on the table. "Good morning Leena. Was it... raining earlier?"

"It was for a moment, you woke up just as it stopped." she replied with a smile. "And now there's not a cloud in the sky!"

"That's odd." Aden replied. "There should be at least a few after a thunderstorm like that!" Aden looked in the sky to see clouds moving in rather quickly and ducked back in. "Three, two, one." Right as he said "one," rain poured down. "Why am I getting the feeling that I've seen something like this before?" Aden asked himself. He then looked up as a memory struck him. 'Oh no. Please not them. Anyone but them!' Aden thought as the rain slowed to a stop as Aden looked back at the sky, which now only had a few scattered clouds in it. "I think I need to check on my PokeBall." Before leaving, he decided to take his dream's advice and grabbed a raincoat.

At the warehouse, the red and white sphere was glowing brightly, releasing small rainclouds and spheres of light at the same time. Aden fell to his knees almost in tears. "Oh, Arceus, why them? Why Groudon and Kyogre? Why?" After taking a moment to compose himself, Aden went back to the B&B to inform the others of the PokeBall's antics.

"The moves it released are physically harmless by themselves, but these abrupt weather changes will reek havoc on nature. These effects are caused by the Weather Trio, a group of three Pokemon native to Pokemon's third Generation, which takes place in Hoenn." Aden explained." The bright sunlight flashes are caused by a Pokemon called Groudon, who is said to have 'raised mountains and created continents' which is probably the artifact's main effect. The rain however is generated by Kyogre, who summoned massive waves and carved oceans, so I guess the artifact can control water. Like the last group, they have associated objects as well. Groudon has a sphere of ruby called the Red Orb, and Kyogre has a sapphire sphere called the Blue Orb."

"Wait, you said trio," Myka commented. "So who's the third?"

"The third," Aden smiled, "is the Pokemon of the Sky, Rayquaza, whose artifact is a green sphere known as the Jade Orb. Only he can calm them both if both of the others are awake. His mere presence forces the weather to be peaceful and calm," he said almost reverently. "But we also have a time limit. As long as either Groudon or Kyogre is awake, their secondary effects, this bizarre weather, will eventually cover the planet, and thoroughly ravage it." Aden explained that in the myth, Groudon and Kyogre's battle caused massive fires and terrible floods of Biblical proportions. "To calm them both, Rayquaza must be in the presence of both at the same time."

"Well don't just sit here everyone, go find those artifacts!" Artie instructed. "Claudia, Aden, you find the Jade Orb; Myka and Pete, the Red; Steve and I will get the Blue. Let's move out!"

Aden drove Claudia to Sheridan, Wyoming, shuddering as the weather grew wilder every time it switched. When they reached their destination, he was pleased to find that the sky was perfect. Heading for the center of town on a hunch, he saw a young boy sitting near a statue, the Jade Orb around his neck. Aden sat down next to him and struck up a conversation. "Hey, Juan. How's your Rayquaza doing?"

"He's doing fine, Aden. Yours?" Juan replied with a small smile.

"Ozone's doing great! Speaking of, looks like the Sky God is granting your town a beautiful day from that Orb."

"I guess so."

"I'm sorry, but I'm gonna need to take that. It will be safe, I swear it in the name of Hoenn."

Juan sighed. "Okay." He slipped it off his neck and handed it to Aden. "Take care of him."

"I will," he said, patting the boy on the shoulder as he accepted the Orb. As he did so, however, a shrieking roar echoed down from the sky. Looking up, he saw the faint apparition of an enormous, serpentine creature. It lasted just long enough for it to nod in approval before it faded from view.

"Looks like he already likes you," said Juan, who also had been staring up at the sky towards the apparition.

More than a little stunned at this display, Aden simply walked back to the car.

"What the hell was that?" Claudia asked immediately, pointing towards where the apparition had specifically appeared.

"That was an image of Rayquaza himself. I think it's how these particular artifacts manipulate the weather: they project apparitions of the said Pokemon into the sky, and the weather around them changes accordingly."

"So I'm guessing it's Mr. Green Dragon that is keeping the weather around this town calm and peaceful," Claudia replied, starting to grasp how these three artifacts likely functioned.

"Yes, but I doubt that's all." Aden contemplated the Orb for a moment, then swung his arm forward to a point, much like a magician performing an act. A blast of air shot from his arm and rocketed down a nearby alley, kicking up debris as it passed. "Since Rayquaza is master of the sky, the holder of his Orb apparently has command over the air."

"So then that means the holders of the Red and Blue Orbs will likely be able to manipulate the ground and water, respectively," Claudia finished, following the logic of what they had just learned and remembering what Aden had said about the Trio.

Meanwhile, at Los Angeles, a surfer wearing the Blue Orb was having the best day of his life, finding large waves wherever he wanted them. As time went on, the Orb flickered faintly and, unbeknownst to anyone, the image of a massive, whale-like creature appeared briefly in the sky over the city.

In Houston, another man was surreptitiously using the Red Orb's powers over the land to commit robberies. As he hid from the police chasing him from his latest break-in, he noticed the Orb flicker brightly for a moment. Afraid this may have given him away, he ran out from his hiding place... and fell back screaming in terror. Standing over him was the image of a gargantuan, Godzilla-like creature, it's head pointed downward as if staring right at him. "Don't hurt me, please!" The red behemoth just stared at him, and as quickly as it had appeared, it vanished into red sparks that rose into the sky, burning away the overcast that had been covering the area.

Steve and Artie arrived just in time to see the blue leviathan appear once more before morphing into a massive raincloud that quickly spread over the entire city and began growing larger. The rain came down in buckets as the pair headed to the beach, where the surfer was running toward his car. The pair noticed the blue sphere around his neck. It was glowing faintly but not enough to be noticed, and the man seemed completely dry. Suddenly, his eyes shifted to black with glowing yellow irises for a moment.

Back in Texas, Pete and Myka arrived to see a circle of sky that was clear of clouds. The temperature began to rise quickly as the circle spread wider. Myka judged where the epicenter of the event was and noticed that it was a bank robbery in progress. The crook had a red orb around his neck and had chunks of earth floating around him that he was throwing at tellers.

Meanwhile, Aden's truck radio informed him and Claudia of the weather anomalies. "It has begun." Aden said. "When the circles intersect, the weather will go nuts and these anomalies will begin propagating until they encompass the planet. I hope we can defuse the situation before that happens." Moments after he said this, the radio issued a weather alert stating a string of anomalous weather patterns had already begun forming along the Mountain Region. "Scratch that, it looks as though the battle-lines have already been drawn." He sighed deeply. "I hate it when these two fight."

Claudia, who had slipped outside so she could use her Farnsworth, slid back into her seat. "Well, I just called the others, and despite a few obstacles, they say they aught to have the other two Orbs snagged in the next 15 minutes... 20 at most. So... this whole mess should be fixed rather soon."

Aden frowned and slowly shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I don't think it will be. Bagging the two Orbs while their spheres of influence were separate might have worked, but now they've clashed and are engaged in a battle of epic proportions."

"OK, OK," Claudia responded, holding up her hands in a slightly comedic fashion. "I thought we were sent after the artifact that cleared rainclouds." She chuckled slightly at this, then stopped and stared forward intently. "Wait, hold the phone Eeyore, that's it!"

"What's 'it'?" Aden asked in response, shrugging off the Winnie-the-Pooh quip.

"OK, you said that in the myth, Kyogre and Groudon duked it out incessantly until Rayquaza showed up, his presence forcing the two to back down."

"Yeah, so?" Aden asked, not seeing where Claudia was going with this.

"So, all we have to do is bring the three Orbs together and used the Jade Orb to calm the other two."

Aden's expression lightened considerably upon hearing this plan. "Now that I can see working. But I think we're overlooking something. From what we witnessed with the Jade Orb, these three artifacts exert their weather control by focusing their power into projecting apparitions of their respective Pokemon into the air. Now that Kyogre and Groudon are brawling, I suspect they are pooling most of their energies into one area. If we want the best chance to calm them both, I think we should take the Orbs to that location and use the Jade Orb there."

"Well, look who found the silver lining," the tech girl said as she playfully jabbed Aden in the shoulder. "OK, I'm on it." She slipped her laptop out of her back, and began typing fervently.

"Uh, mind explaining what it is your are currently doing?" Aden asked, trying not to get mesmerized by the flurry of fingers currently flying over the laptop's keyboard.

"Hacking into the national weather database to determine where the most intense weather is being focused and every police database west of the Rockies to see if there have been any reports of a Godzilla monster match." In 20 seconds, she had finished and was now sifting through the data. "Alright, the strongest weather anomalies so far are focused over northern Arizona, and the only place that's had numerous reports of giant monsters is..." She typed a few more keys and pressed Enter. "Wait, seriously?"

"Something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong. I hope you enjoy grandiose views, because we're headed to the Grand Canyon."

Back in LA, Steve managed to get the surfer to hand over the Blue Orb. In Houston, Pete and Myka subdued the crook long enough to snatch the Red Orb from his neck and hand him to the police. As Steve and Myka held the spheres, their eyes flashed yellow on black. A heartbeat later, their eyes returned to normal. Myka describes a vision of fighting a brilliantly red creature, bathed in sunlight in the canyon; Steve describes a similar scenario, involving a blue creature surrounded by rain. Simultaneously, they intone that they needed to get to the Grand Canyon.

At the canyon, a reporter described the highly unusual and incredibly powerful forces taking place. "The unusual weather that is spreading across the country appears to have centered itself along the canyon. Experts are still unable to find any rhyme or reason to these unusual meteorological patterns." A sudden roaring caused everyone to turn towards the canyon, the camera picking up what appeared to be a red behemoth and blue leviathan fighting brutally within the canyon walls.

The three groups caught up with each-other, Artie, Aden, and Pete at the wheels. "Everyone got their orbs? I've got Green." Claudia asked, showing the the green sphere.

"Red's right here." Myka informed the others, holding out hers.

"I got Blue." Steve added, producing the final Orb.

"Now lets go and calm those two pain in the necks down." Aden growled. The group then headed closer to the canyon. At the canyon wall, the Orbs glowed brightly.

"Uh oh," said Pete, pausing for a moment, a look of panic on his face. "I'm getting some very bad vibe-age here."

Myka turned to her partner, an expression of worry now on her face. "How bad are we ta-"

Before she could finish, a beyond deafening roar emanated from the canyon as Kyogre and Groudon appeared in full detail. The two Orbs flashed brilliantly, coursing energy through Myka and Steve. As quickly as this display began, it ended. Both agents stood where they were, their eyes now displaying a yellow on black coloration and glowing runic markings the same color as their respective Orbs crisscrossing across their faces.

"Oh my god!" Pete yelled, seeing the startling transformation in his partner. "Myka, what's happened to you?"

In response, Myka threw out one of her arms, the ground under Pete lifting up and flipping him over as a result.

"Myka, what the hell?!" Claudia began running over to her friend... only to be bowled over by a blast of of water from behind, directed by Steve. The two agents then faced each other and began assaulting one another, with water and earth flying back and forth between them.

"Alright, what in God's name is happening?" Artie asked Aden.

Aden simply stood their perplexed and simply watched the two agents have at it for a few moments. Eventually he took note of the fact that every move made by the possessed agents appeared to mirror those of the brawling apparitions, and realization struck him.

"Aw hell, how did I not think of that!" He smacked his forehead in a gesture of utter frustration. "In the show, while the Red and Blue Orbs were shown to be able to manipulate Groudon and Kyogre, the links could be reversed, allowing the two Pokemon to instead control the holders of the Orbs. Being here must have allowed the Orbs to possess Steve and Myka and use them as avatars for the duel between the two Pokemon." Aden banged his head against his car. "Yet another reason on the list of why I don't like Groudon and Kyogre. What else could-" Aden stopped himself from finishing the sentence. "Nope. I am not gonna finish that sentence."

"Good idea." Claudia said as she picked up the Jade Orb from where she had dropped it. The instant she did, a burst of air blew around her. "OK... so what was that about?"

"I... think it wants you to put it on." Aden replied, understanding the hint in what just happened. Claudia stared at the sphere for a second before nodding in agreement. She took a deep breath, and slipped the gem onto her neck. Immediately it glowed and her eyes shining a vivid yellow on black with yellow runic markings appearing on her face. Immediately following this, though, she began to keel over as though in great pain.

"Claudia, what's wrong?" Aden turned to see that the markings along her face were now fading in and out rapidly.

"Rayquaza... he's... attacking me, bombarding me... with air," she choked out, clearly under a great deal of mental stress.

"He must be testing your resolve. You have to prove yourself to him. Embrace the power he wields while asserting yourself over his assaults."

"I'm... trying," Claudia replied, the act of speaking apparently now becoming quite the challenge. Eventually she simply collapsed, falling back into Aden, who grabbed her by the shoulders. Once this happened, though, her eyes snapped back open and the markings on her face began glowing fiercely and spread across her entire body. Standing up, she walking in between the feuding agents and threw out her arms, summoning blasts of air that blew them back and held them down. From her body emanated a column of green light that shot upward and burned a hole in the storm clouds above. Everyone, even the titanic apparitions, looked upward as a solid image of Rayquaza appeared in the clearing skies. It surveyed the area, then unleashed a shrieking roar that tore through Groudon and Kyogre, dissolving them and releasing their hold on Myka and Steve. It then regarded Claudia approvingly before dissolving.

"All hail Rayquaza," Aden intoned as the light faded along with Claudia's markings, "the Embodiment of the Sky." She removed the orbs, as did Myka and Steve. Aden explained what happened as he bagged the three orbs, each one releasing sparks of red (Kyogre), blue (Groudon) and yellow (Rayquaza) light.

"When these three are shelved, I am taking two things: an Aspirin and a nap. I have such a headache." Aden rubbed his temples. "Now everyone knows why I don't like Groudon and Kyogre."

As the group drove back to the Warehouse, weather reports from around the globe noted that sandstorms dissolved, hail evaporated, rain cleared up, and heat waves dissipated. "All over the world, the weather seems to be, well, perfect!" the weatherman said over the radio. "The one thing all these events have in common is that just before they occurred, a mysterious flash of green arced across the sky."

As Aden shelved the Jade Orb, he informed them that even too much calm weather would eventually devastate the planet. "Sometimes, nasty weather is needed, a thunderstorm for a drought, and a heat wave for a flood."

After getting a much-needed Aspirin from Leena, the young man collapsed on his bed and fell asleep. He dreamed of the creature again. "Ah, what now?"

"Nothing special." he replied. "Just thought I'd leave you with my name, and then I'll leave you alone with the dreamless sleep I know you want." The being spelled out the name in odd circular markings Aden didn't recognize, disappearing and leaving his mind as soon as he finished.

{1}

Aden woke from his nap soon before dinner and grabbed the notebook describing the being and scribbled down the markings at the top of the page. Only then did he recognize the language he had nearly forgotten from a few years ago. "Wait a sec..." Aden's face brightened as he scribbled the translation beneath the symbols. "I know this!" He then tore out the one with the theory of why Dialga's Diamond smacked Artie in the head and walked downstairs with it. At the office, he plucked the diamond from Artie's back and slipped it into his pocket. "Apparently, the diamond keeps trying to attack you because Dialga is said to attack people who cause temporal anomalies." Artie paled slightly at the news, staring off as if deep in thought. "Is something wrong?"

"What?" Artie said as his attention returned to the present. "Oh, no, not at all. I'm sure it's just a side-effect of my working here for so long: spending so much time around thousands of artifacts, some of which have time-altering effects, has probably just rubbed off on me. 'Altered my aura', as Leena might say."

"Well, if you're sure..." Aden headed through the door to take the Diamond back to its shelf. All the while, he couldn't shake the feeling that Artie was hiding something, but exactly what he had no idea. The diamond in his hand pulsed questioningly. "Yeah, Dialga, I know. He's keeping something secret, but I think it would be better if we didn't find out. At least not yet." The Orb pulsed in agreement.

* * *

{1} doesn't accept the Matoran writing system. Sorry!

**Novanto's Note:** For those who wanna know what the being's name is, well... I can't really tell you because SPOILERS!

But... I'll give you a hint: the full name is seven letters long. The first two are A and Z, the last two are A and R.

Let's see how many people can guess the middle three in reviews! The correct guesser will be given a link to where they can read the entire story as well as a sneak peak on what's to come-all on one page! Have fun and good luck!


	5. Viracoacha's Staff

**Novanto's Notes:** This is a short story I've had stuck in my head. Based on the Peru Level of Tomb Raider Legend, but without Amanda Evert's creature roaming the caves... I hope.

* * *

"Earth Plate! Stone Plate!" Aden Taylor fired blasts of energy into the ground.

"Are you sure there's something there?" Claudia whined. "I'm boiling in this heat!"

Aden rolled his eyes as he fired a final blast of power, breaking into a chamber from the roof. "Yes I am. because here we are in a nice shaded carved chamber." Aden used the Meadow Plate to conjure a long thick vine and climbed down it, followed by Claudia and Helena.

"What exactly is this place" Hg asked as she shone a flashlight around the room.

"An antechamber for a tomb, as I recall from the game." Aden replied as he picked up a carved piece of iridium. "I remember this little trinket as well." Aden held it out. It was the size of a fist and embedded with purple gems. "It's called a Ghalali Key, with the ability to separate and repair a powerful weapon. A sword with special properties and a most unique tip." Aden noticed a purple teardrop-shaped stone on a sealed door. "We'll need to bag that later, but for now..." Aden sprayed it with Neutralizer, which stopped the stone from giving off a violet light, "we leave it here, because I think it's booby-trapped."

Claudia slipped the Stone Plate from his pocket, broke a large section out of the sealed entrance and climbed through. "You guys coming?" Aden gave the stone an 'I'm watching you' gesture as he followed after Helena. The small room held a simple wall carving on a wide column, the title of which Aden translated as The Lost Queen of the Tiwinaku.

"Who was she?" Helena asked as she ran her eyes over the glyphs.

"Essentially, she was Peru's version of King Arthur." Aden explained as he took a picture of the wall. "Her story, and King Arthur's own legend, are incredibly similar. Her father was king, he died, her daughter grew up unaware of her royal blood and was raised by a shaman named Tanupa"

"Tanupa... wasn't that another name for their god of Creation, Viracoacha?" Helena asked.

"Indeed. She borrowed his staff, and became queen" Aden continued, getting on his knees to read the last few lines. "After many years of wise and just rule, there was a power struggle which took her life. She was carried off in a boat to Paradise." Aden stood up and brushed off his knees. "If I remember the game..." he got out Dialga's Diamond. "There should be worn stairs here." He turned a corner and found a staircase that time had worn away. Aden focused on the gem in his hands, and the years were stripped from the stairs, leaving solid, whole and firm. The group walked up them, to a broken floor suspended over a pit. "Forgot about that."

"I'll handle it." Claudia said proudly as she held up the borrowed Stone Plate and activated it. Walking carefully over the blocks, they made it to a large chamber. "So now where are we?"

"A puzzle room. The goal is to get a boulder onto each of these three pads" Aden indicated the pressure plates, "which will open those." he pointed at the far end "giving us an audience with Queen Arthur." Aden pushed a boulder onto the central plate. Immediately, the statue in the middle of the room rose higher.

Helena used her grappling hook to grab another statue and pull it down, giving access to a second. She pushed it onto the left plate, which allowed twin beams of violet light to strike the jackal statues headpiece. Claudia used the Sky Plate to fly up and push down the third. Placing it on the remaining plate, another pair of lights shone onto the gem in the headpiece. Two beams shot from the statue's eyes into a design in an alcove.

The ground shook. The statues on either side of the alcove swung away, revealing a stone ladder leading up to a ledge. "Let's meet the queen, shall we?" Aden joked as he climbed up. Helena and Claudia followed soon after and walked into a small tunnel to see the young man kneeling before a violet crystal egg that contained a beautiful woman. "Ladies, I give you, the Lost Queen of the Tiwinaku!" At the egg's base, a sword-looking object shone in the light, embedded with same gems as the Ghalali Key. Gently, Aden picked it up. "And this, is Viracoacha's Staff."

He picked the tip off of the ledge and set it next to the remainder of the sword. Pulling out the Ghalali key, he smiled with a tear in his eye. "I never thought I'd get the chance to do this!" He held the key above an indentation in the hilt. The sword rattled a bit.

"What was that?" Claudia asked as she pulled his arm away.

"The Key reacted to the sword. This is this particular blade's key. They'll work for any of them, but the do it better if it is their own." Claudia frowned but let go. Helena said nothing, her eyes trailing over the weapon. Aden held the Key over the slot once more. The blade levitated several inches off the ground, the separated tip clinking against the blade. The young man released the smaller piece, and it hovered over the sparks of energy crackled along the length of the blade. The instant the tip made full contact, the Key jumped into its slot and in a flash of bright violet light, the sword was whole again. The Key and sword separated and landed on the ground. Aden plucked the small stone from the air and bagged it. "Viracoacha's Staff reforged." Aden intoned solemnly as he used the Meadow Plate to conjure a flower and laid it at the Queen's feet. Gazing into her face, he could almost swear that he saw her smile. Grinning slightly, he proceeded to pick up the sword, and led the way back to the puzzle chamber. "I wonder if it still works?"

"Well of course it works, its a sword; no instruction manual required." Helena joked.

Aden chuckled as he raised the sword like a bat. "But can a normal sword... do this?" Aden swung it with a smirk on his face. The tip released a wave of violet energy that arced into the distance before dissipating against the far wall. "I guess it does."

"Oh my god." Claudia said stunned as Aden rested the sword on his shoulder before tying it to his back with a bit of rope and climbing down. "You knew it could do that?"

"Yep! Tomb Raider Legend was my favorite video game for reasons other than Lara Croft."

"I can see why." Helena commented as the group carefully made their way back to the chamber. She plucked the dark stone from its slot and bagged it quickly before following the others up the vine. The group sealed the whole before a waiting (NAME CENSORED) used Teleport to return them and their stuff to the Warehouse.

* * *

**Novanto's Notes:** I was in a Tomb Raider Legend mood when I wrote this. The name will be uncensored when it is revealed later in the story. Or you can still guess it. We've got a few chapters to go.


	6. The Stuff of Legends - Part 2

**Novanto's Note:** Just a couple more before the mysterious entity who keeps contacting Aden, as well as the mysterious person with a penny, will be named!

**Review Responses:**

**Matt (Guest)****: **It was the Pokemon who appeared in Aden's dreams. It was censored because reviewers were invited to try and guess the name. The guy with the penny... well, I dunno where he was when I wrote the last chapter. It's also censored because does not recognize the Matoran alphabet from Bionicle as a language.

**EDIT: For those of you who want to try translating Matoran, here, look at this:** images4 . wikia . nocookie _ cb20121005203003 / warehouse13 / images /0/0e/ NameFont . png **That is what the Pokemon's name is spelled out. Have fun!**

* * *

The next day at the Warehouse, Dialga's Adamant Orb slid off the shelf toward the Dark Vault, only to be caught in a psychic shield from the Mind Plate and returned to its place while simultaneously alerting Artie to unusual activity. Aden follows and raises a curious eyebrow at the pink slab of stone, but ignores it as he spies the PokeBall wiggling again. "I'll deal with you later," he told the Plate as he held the ball closed and rushed outside, where the other agents stood waiting.

Aden set the red and white sphere on the ground and backed away. It replied by unleashing a blast of silvery-blue wind, followed a burst of spectral fire which took the shape of a phoenix. "Aeroblast and... Sacred Fire, that means Lugia and Ho-oh," Aden commented as he searched on his phone. "Ho-oh's a Fire bird, Lugia's a water-dwelling Psychic bird; but they're ultimately harmless, both carrying the title of Guardian instead of Embodiment. Lugia's item is a silver-colored feather, the Silver Wing, which apparently is similar to that of a penguin's. Ho-oh's item is a feather that changes color depending on the angle you look at it, appropriately named the Rainbow Wing," he explained.

"So what exactly should we be looking for while searching for these 'Wings'?" Claudia asked, pulling out and opening what looked like a mini-Farnsworth crossed with a cigarette case.

"Well, since the two represent guardians, probably somebody walking away from fires or drowning, maybe even saving others from them."

"Got it," Claudia stated after a moment of fiddling with the device. "We've got pings for a firefighter in Nashville and a swimmer-lifeguard in Chicago."

"Great," Aden said before pausing for a moment. "Would it be fine if I sit out of this particular grab? I'm still a bit burned out from collecting the Weather Trio."

"Not at all," said Artie, garnering astonished looks from the other agents, especially Claudia. "Alright, let's get to work: Pete, Claudia, you two go get the Wing in Illinois; Myka, Steve, grab the one in Tennessee." Noticing the four still standing there staring, he added "Now!"  
The two groups went off to their given locations while Aden slipped back into the Warehouse to replace the Ball. When he got there, he caught the Orbs flashing slightly at each other. "And what are you all up to?" he asked as he set the PokeBall in its place and browsed the Plates for a pair he thought might come in handy, plucking out the Ground- and Rock-Typed ones.

When the four agents returned to the Warehouse, they saw Aden messing around with the Earth and Stone Plates, apparently doing landscaping, as Artie watched intently. He generated a beautiful rock garden, as well as what appeared to be a labeled parking lot near his and Artie's cars. After slipping the two tablets into bags, Aden hopped onto a flat stone and surveyed his work with a smile. "Perfect!" he commented as he slipped down.

"You made all this?" Claudia asked, shooting yet another incredulous look at Artie.

"Yep!" Aden replied happily as he tossed the PokeBall in his hand up and down. "So, was I right about the Wings?"

Steve unveiled a feather-shaped opal charm with a golden shaft. "Pretty much. This apparently acts a bit like the Phoenix down in the Warehouse, though it doesn't seem to take anything as a price. The fireman who had it was able to walk into a fire at the Pantheon (incidentally caused by lighting from the crazy weather we just stopped) and come out completely unscathed. What's more, the boy he rescued had sustained extensive third-degree burns, but as soon as he got him out, all of his wounds instantly healed and he regained consciousness on the spot."

Pete revealed the solid silver charm. "Ditto for us. [Aden failed to suppress a smirk at the remark.] The swimmer this belonged to saved a small girl. She had been swept into a drainage ditch by flood waters (caused by a downpour courtesy of the same freaky weather) and he jumped in after her. An hour later, he came back up with the girl's body, with absolutely no signs of almost drowning or suffocating himself. He apparently attempted CPR on her, and as soon as his hands touched her, all of the water she had inhaled was expelled from her lungs and she woke up on the spot."

"Whoa." Aden's eyes widened as he gazed at the Wings, then glanced at the Ball in his hand, which was pointing at the Silver Wing. "You might wanna set the Silver one down." After Pete quickly did so, the PokeBall unleashed three glowing orbs, which struck the ground around the charm forming a triangle. After a moment, the orbs dissipated into bursts of embers, snow, and sparks, to which the charm responded by resonating with six notes that Aden informed the group as the Song of Lugia. "Looks like the other three Birds are up." he sighed.

Claudia pulled out her laptop and looked up "Fire; Ice, Lightning; Bird; Lugia" and immediately came up with the Legendary Bird Trio. "Those would be Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres, right?"

"Yep." Aden confirmed. "Those three are occasionally said to be Titans, (although that could be just one group), or Winged Mirages. They are said to be associated with the seasons. Articuno with Winter, Zapdos with Spring, and Moltres with Summer."

"Then who is Autumn?" Myka questioned.

"Nobody. Don't know why."

That evening in the city of Reno, a young man is walking back to his home when a car races through a nearby puddle, spraying him with water. As he shakes himself down in frustration, he notices a strange warmth coming from the backpack he was carrying. Taking it off and rummaging for a moment, he eventually extracts a red glass sphere. The moment he removed it, the warmth spread across his body, quickly drying his clothing. Before he could marvel at this event, the sphere began to glow brilliantly, and his skin began smoking and blistering rapidly. Unable to drop the sphere, he could only scream in agony as his entire being erupted into flame, garnering the attention of those in the nearby apartments. By the time any of them had called the authorities, all that was left was of the make was a blackened skeleton.

When the group of Agents arrived at Reno, they headed to the local police station of the area where the incident had occurred. There they met with the officer in charge, a Captain Jensen, who filled them in on what was found at the scene.

"Victim is Clark Thompson, 20 years of age and attendant of UNR. His remains were found on the route he apparently favored when returning to his off-campus apartment, just a pile of ash and blackened bones. No sign of any accelerant or other flammable material, nor any kind of explosive. Strangely, his backpack was found at the scene completely intact, though was damp as though it had been sprayed with a good amount of water."

" Huh, that sounds interesting ." Aden commented as they listened.

Before they could press the Captain for access to the evidence, he received a call and waved them off, claiming it was important and had to take it. Mere moments after he walked off, the buzzing of the Farnsworth rang fourth from Claudia's pocket.

"Have you gotten a hold of the Artifact yet?"

"Not just yet, Artie," Myka replied over Claudia's shoulder. "We were about to ask for access to the belongings of the man who combusted when the Captain had to take an important call."

"Well, the computer just picked up two more pings in Reno: a comic book store apparently just froze over and pawn shop has just transformed into a thundercloud."

"And that answers what was so urgent in the call the Captain received. We'll get on that right away Artie." Claudia stated before closing the Farnsworth.

"Disturb not the harmony of Fire, Ice, or Lightning…"

"Disturb what?" Pete asked, hearing Aden mumble to himself.

Aden turned to look at the other three agents. "It's part of a prophecy about the birds made in the movie Pokemon 2000. Essentially it stated that if one of the birds were to be disturbed in some way, it could result in a war between the three that could escalate dangerously. From what the Captain said, the backpack they found with the body remains was soaked with water. My guess is that Mr. Thompson got drenched somehow while returning home, and in his frustration he somehow triggered the Fire Treasure to dry himself; however, because it was triggered during the summer, its output spiraled out of control to the point it caused him to combust. That burst of energy tripped off the other two Treasures, who are currently responding."

"So we'd better contain them ASAP," Pete noted. "Alright, I'll take the one at the comic store; Myka, you go for the one at the pawn shop. Aden, you and Claudia find a way to snag the Fire Treasure from the evidence lock-up. We'll meet in the alley by our rental once we have them all."

"Wait, before you go," Aden started, "you may need these." He produced three of the Plates from his pocket, handing the Flame Plate to Pete and the Earth Plate to Myka while keeping the Splash Plate for himself. "These should help protect against the energies the Treasures are now likely giving off."

After the two senior agents departed, Aden had Claudia look up where the evidence lock-up was in the building. He then utilized a Teleport to take him straight into the room "So that's what flash-stepping feels like." he commented as he looked across the shelves, finding the Treasure in a box that was half melted. When he attempted to contain it, however, the snag bag surged with heat and disintegrated the moment the sphere touched it. Not wanting to risk getting caught, he decided to pull another Teleport to the designated meeting place. He did so, only to find Pete and Myka already there, the Articuno and Zapdos Treasures respectively in hand.

"Let me guess," Pete stated slightly sarcastically, "when you tried to bag the Treasure, the bag obliterated."

"Yes, unfortunately." Aden replied in a slightly irritable tone. "I guess there is only one thing to do now." He then proceeded to reveal the Silver Wing, which he had been wearing under his shirt. "Lugia's Song is the only thing that can calm the birds, so I'm hoping this Wing will have the same effect.

He held out the Wing, but nothing seemed to happen. Just when he was about try to stop the spheres in some other way, the sound of what seemed to be a flute came echoing down the alley, playing the very song Aden had been thinking of. After several seconds, the Wing began to shimmer started to resonate the very same song. It was at that point the three Treasures dimmed back to normal.

"OK, what was that all about?" Claudia asked out loud.

"I have no idea!" Aden replied, completely at a loss for words.

Hours later, Aden shelved the three treasures next to the Orbs along with the Rainbow Wing. He then turned around and watched the other Legends flash a greeting at the trio, who responded in kind. Aden smiled at them then stomped on the Adamant Orb's cord as it rolled off toward the Dark Vault. "Not today, pal!" he said as he replaced the artifact. "Nobody tease him; just keep him on the shelf." Aden then proceeded to place the Silver Wing on the shelf as well. When it touched the surface of its display, it emitted a brief tone that sounded like the music from before. At this point, the Adamant Orb once again began rolling, but this time it was to bump into the Wing's display. "Now you are after Lugia and his song too? But _that_ song doesn't have anything to do with time."

* * *

**Novanto's closing thoughts:** No, I do not know why Dialga is attracted to Lugia. And remember, you people still have to guess the Mystery Pokemon's name!

**Next Time!** Eon and Tao awaken!


End file.
